Extra £5,000 funding given to Kington trust to pay for staff overtime

A Kington trust has been given £5,000 funding to pay for staff overtime.

The Recreation Ground Trust asked Kington Town Council for the additional £5,000 to support the staffing and maintenance of Crooked Wells Meadow and the Recreation Ground.

They said primarily the money will meet staff overtime costs through to the end of the current financial year.

The overtime supports essential work at Crooked Well Meadow and for the Recreation Ground Trust and the need is to maintain safe, accessible and well-managed community spaces while protecting continuity of service.

Kington Mayor Councillor Martin Woolford said at the October meeting that the amount of overtime is being monitored and the council knew when they took over Crooked Wells Meadow that overtime would be needed.

But he said the £5,000 funding is probably not in this year's budget.

The council agreed to give the extra £5,000 funding for staff overtime.

The Recreation Ground was gifted to the Town over a century ago and a Trust Deed was set up in 1910, establishing a Charitable Trust for its management. The Trust passed to Kington Town Council many years ago and the Town Council is, in law, the Charitable Trustee.

The Recreation Ground Trust therefore follows council procedures in relation to its governance, but meets separately to council meetings.

The Recreation Ground Trust has established a Management Group to look after day to day issues concerning the Recreation Ground and its users.

The Town Council makes an annual grant available to the Trust to enable it to carry out its responsibilities.